The One I Want
by sup-stephhh
Summary: Jake finds himself crushing on football star Ryder Lynn, who barely even knows he exists. The two get to know each other and things get confusing and complicated. Eventual Jyder. Starts at the beginning of s4, around the time of Makeover and The Break Up.
1. Chapter 1

A/N - _Hey everyone! So this is my Jyder story. It's something that I have wanted to get out of my head and start writing for awhile now, and I finally decided to start it. I hope it doesn't suck too much, but I haven't written fanfiction or almost anything in a few years. I have a lot of this story planned already, so hopefully update gaps won't be too long. When my semester ends in May I'll have even more time. This is mostly gonna be Jake's point of view but I'm gonna add in some Ryder when it's necessary to the plot and when I feel like his voice needs to be heard. Anyway, enjoy! Any constructive criticism is greatly appreciated._

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**Jake POV**

Man, I would have rather been anywhere but here. It was a Friday night, and I was wasting my time sitting in the bleachers at some boring ass football game. I had much better things I could have done that night to occupy my time, like playing a video game.. or sleeping.. or.. okay, fine. I didn't have much of a life. But I hate football. I hate most sports, actually. I used to play baseball when I was younger, but I'd never find out if I was still any good at it because most of the jocks in this dumbass town hate me for no reason. It's cool though.. I really had no desire at all to get back out on any field. I preferred the loner lifestyle I became accustomed to over the years.

I was literally only there because my girlfriend was a cheerleader, and she insisted that I go to all of the home games. When I tried to politely decline that offer, insisting turned into begging, and when that didn't work begging turned into arguing. She seemed kind of pissed and upset, and I definitely didn't want to lose my girlfriend over some dumb fight, so I eventually caved. But Kitty seemed like the assertive kind of girl who would yell and whine until she got her way, so I let her know that there was no way I'd let myself turn into one of those whipped boyfriends. She didn't like that, but I had to speak up or else attending football games would soon turn into carrying around pink handbags and spending hundreds of dollars on jewelery.

When I realized that there was no way I'd be able to get out of going to the game, I asked my friend Marley to go with me. She was a sort of cool chick, but she definitely had a thing for me. Kitty didn't like that I spent time with Marley, and especially hated that I got her to tag along with me for the game. I explained to her that I wasn't gonna sit in a crowd of bleachers and walk around the field by myself, but I did understand that she had a point. If I was dating someone and they were always chilling with someone who liked to flirt with them, I'd have a problem with that too. But Marley's kind of flirting was subtle. I could always tell when she was doing it, and it was definitely there; I just had to look under the surface for it. I feel like it was more of an accidental thing on her part. Sure, Marley wanted me, but she was too innocent and nice to actually be a boyfriend stealer. And I did kind of sing a romantic Aerosmith-Britney Spears balled thing with her and let her borrow my leather jacket, so I guess that means I led her on a little.

Marley was totally cute and nice to spend time with, but even if I was single I wouldn't have went for her. I had just joined Glee Club and she was the only person I knew in there. I really didn't have friends at all, and even though I genuinely enjoyed being a loner, it was nice to have a friend. I don't really warm to people easily, so I wasn't gonna start hitting up the other Glee kids to chill right away.

"Can you see Kitty from here?" Marley eventually asked me, I guess trying to start conversation.

"Kind of.. But we can move closer if you want," I replied, not really minding either way.

"Sure, do you want to go for a walk?"

"Yeah, totally." I was definitely up for that; I needed to stretch my legs out. We'd spent almost half the game sitting in the same section of bleachers, and I also needed Kitty to see me so she'd know I was there.

We stood up and made our way down, me in front and Marley following close behind. There wasn't a lot of leg room because it was so packed. Apparently the Titans were up against some big rival, and I guess it was considered fun to watch them get their asses kicked. I mean, that's what I assumed was happening since a lot of people on the red side started boo-ing and yelling. I guess the other team got a touchdown or something. I heard a loud buzzer go off and then some guy announced over the intercom that half time was officially starting. Thank god Marley and I got out of there, because half time probably meant everyone would start getting up and walking around.

It was a few minutes into the break. We had walked around about half of the field by that point, and Marley asked, "Do you want something to eat? I think I'm going to go to the snack stand real quick."

"Nah, I'm good. I think the Cheerios are doing some routine soon, so I'm gonna go watch Kitty."

She nodded and I walked off on my own. I sort of noticed the Cheerios walking onto the field for their dance, but soon got distracted. This guy that I was totally crushing on walked right by me, and my eyes couldn't help but follow him. His name was Ryder Lynn, and he looked even hotter in that sweaty football gear than he did in the school hallways. On the first day of classes he accidentally walked in on my math class, thinking he belonged there. It sounds kind of cheesy, but from the moment I saw him I couldn't look away. He was tall and built, he had amazing hazel eyes, and I just liked the way he carried himself. He seemed pretty cool and chill, and confident but not cocky.

I know I was supposed to be watching my girlfriend cheer, but this was my moment. I had to go talk to Ryder. What were the odds of him walking right by me without any of his idiotic friends around for once? ...It was like destiny or something. I wasn't one of those creepy bisexual guys who liked to get all up in straight dudes' business or anything, but I'd regret it later and hate myself forever if I didn't give it a try.

He was talking to Coach Bieste who didn't seem too happy with him, and he didn't seem too happy at all either. I definitely didn't want to bother him if he wasn't in a good mood to begin with, but when his conversation ended and he began walking back in my direction, I couldn't help myself. He walked right past me, and before I could stop to think about what I was doing, I called out, "Ryder?" walking up to him slightly.

He stopped in his tracks, turning around and stepping closer to me. He scanned me up and down, looking kind of pissed off and very confused. "What, are you gonna mock me now too?" he asked with a sarcastic tone to his voice.

"Huh? Uh, no.. I was just gonna say hi..." There was an awkward pause. Shit, this was not how our first encounter was supposed to go. "Why would I be mocking you? Who's doing that?" I asked.

"Like, the entire team. Did you not see my fumble out there?"

"Dude, I don't even know what that means. I don't know what a fumble is..." I trailed off, almost giving up.

Ryder chuckled a bit, not that he seemed happier or anything. "Basically, I gave away a touchdown for the other team." So that explained why all the fans got pissed right before halftime, I guess. "So if you don't know anything about football, what are you doing here at the game?"

"My girlfriend's a cheerleader."

"No kidding? Who?"

"Kitty Wilde," I said with a sigh.

"Oh sweet, she's pretty cool."

I nodded slowly, looking down. "Yeah, totally...So, what position do you play?"

"Quarterback, but uh, I should probably get back to the locker room. Half time's almost over. But it was totally cool talking to you! Uh, wait, I didn't catch your name."

A smile started to creep up my face, and I saw him grin a little too. "Jake."

"Cool. I'm Ryder," he replied, flashing a full-out smile. "I'll totally see you around dude." He gave me one last quick nod before running off toward the other side of the field.

The conversation started out rough, but I was more than satisfied with how that turned out. I would definitely be seeing him around like he said. I don't know how, but I was determined to make it happen. I came back down to earth and walked toward the snack stand to find Marley.

She was sitting at one of the benches by herself with a basket of fries when we spotted each other. "Hey, did you see Kitty's sky split? That was awesome!" Marley was confused at my sudden change in attitude, but it didn't really matter to me. All I cared about from that moment onward was that I got the chance to talk to Ryder Lynn. I told you it was cheesy.

* * *

Before I knew it, Monday rolled around and completely kicked my ass. I missed all of the alarms I had set on my phone, and my mom worked the overnight shift so I ended up sleeping in big time. She got home at around nine in the morning, yelled at me to wake up, and rushed me off to school before I missed too many classes. It didn't really matter because I skipped a lot of them anyway.

I got a detention for being late, which wasn't anything new, but it did mean that I'd have to show up late to Glee Club. It didn't really matter. I loved singing and dancing, but I knew Schuester wouldn't give a shit.

I walked into the choir room hoping nobody would stare at me as I arrived because I was late. I hated having all of the attention on me; it's just not my style. To my surprise, everyone was kind of doing their own thing and rehearsal hadn't even started yet. Blaine was sitting alone with Sam, looking kind of depressed. Tina was sitting at the piano playing some notes while Artie and Unique sang along with her. Marley was sitting quietly by Brittany, Sugar, and Joe who seemed to all be gossiping. I walked toward them and pulled Marley aside.

"Hey, I didn't think you'd be here. You weren't in gym today."

"I slept in and got detention," I answered. "So what's going on? Where's Mr. Schue and why haven't we started yet?"

She pointed in the direction of his office, which was connected to the choir room with a currently shut door separating them. "He's talking to some old looking guy. He was crying or something...I don't really know what's going on."

Before I could continue I noticed Brittany get up and walk over to the piano. She shooed Tina and the others away and sat down on the base of it. "Okay everyone, listen up!" she started.

I went to go sit down with Marley. She wanted to sit near the front row but I preferred the back, and she follow me there instead.

"So, as you should all know, this Friday is my birthday! Lord Tubbington is throwing a not-so-surprising party for me, and it's gonna be huge!" A few people cheered, specifically Sugar. "I want to see all of your wonderful faces there, even you newbies." I looked awkwardly at Marley, assuming that we were the 'newbies' Brittany was referring to. I was pretty sure Unique was new to the club too.

"You're each allowed to bring one person as your plus-one to ensure that this party doesn't get too out of hand. It starts at seven and will last pretty much all night! Any questions?"

Sam shot his hand up eagerly and asked, "Yeah, is there gonna be alcohol?"

"Yes, there will be! Your enthusiasm is appreciated Sam!"

Oh god...I wondered what this group of rejects would be like drunk.

"So is this going to be like the time we all got our drink on in Rachel Berry's basement?" he asked again.

Wait. These guys actually have partied before?

"Yeah, totally! And as you're gonna find out at practice later, Lord Tubbington has also decided to invite all of my friends from the football team and the Cheerios!"

I rolled my eyes. I used to drink a lot back in the day, but I've been trying to stay sober for a few years now, and I sure as hell wasn't gonna break that for a party full of stupid jocks who hate me anyway.

"Wait...I thought you just said you didn't want the party getting out of hand. Why are you inviting like a third of the school?" Tina asked.

"Shut up Tina," Brittany replied totally nonchalantly. "You really should have raised your hand. "Any other questions?"

Tina crossed her arms, and at that moment Mr. Schue walked out of his office with that guy he was talking to. All of a sudden everyone freaked out and huddled around the guy whose name was apparently Finn Hudson. I heard things being said about joining the army, and old Glee competitions. Mr. Schue started to begin explaining our weekly assignment when Brittany interrupted, saying, "Oh and Finn! You totally better be at my party on Friday night too!"

Schuester started talking about ideas for this year's fall musical and handed everyone a list of possible play choices. I don't know why we were talking about this during glee time...it wasn't drama club, and we sort of had a competition to start prepping for. I hope being in Glee Club didn't mean we had to audition for the show, because I was definitely not down for that. I'd consider signing up for stage crew, but that's only if I had no choice.

That Finn dude suggested the musical Grease, and everyone seemed to agree. I don't know who he was, or why he had that kind of authority, but whatever. It wasn't my problem.

I just sat back, tuned everyone's annoying voices out, and daydreamed about possible future scenarios with a certain Ryder Lynn until I was free to go home for the day.


	2. Chapter 2

Kitty and I spent that whole week leading up to Brittany's party arguing on and off. I didn't really want to go, but she kept insisting that I tag alongside her as her 'date'. And it seemed like the more times I tried to inform her on how house parties don't really require a date, the more she kept pushing for me to go. Remember how I mentioned her persistence, and how it tended to lead to her getting her way in the end? I don't really know why I expected this situation to be any different...

She met me at my locker right before Glee rehearsal on Wednesday, like she usually did. She was smiling, which usually meant that a girl was happy, but my girlfriend was unpredictable so after dating her for a few weeks my motto soon became: Expect the worst, but hope for the best. No, really though...For our first date I took her out to a Chinese buffet, and that expression was literally what I got inside my fortune cookie. Coincidence? I think not.

Anyway, I shoved my notebooks inside the locker before turning to give her a kiss. "Hey babe," I greeted.

"Hey hot stuff," she replied, sliding her arm up and down my bicep. Her lips pursed, changing from a smile into a devilish grin. "So, about Brittany's party..."

"You still want me to go?" I cut off, expecting the worst.

"Of course. I need you there."

"How many times do I need to tell you that you're not gonna need or really even _want_ to have a date by your side all night?"

"It's not just that." She sighed, obviously overdoing it for dramatic effect. She tended to do little things like that a lot. It was like our relationship was a game to her or something. "I've never really gotten drunk before, and I know you're like super experienced at it or whatever. Like what if I get sick? Wouldn't you rather take care of me yourself instead of me having to get some super hot football player do it instead?"

That really pissed me off, and rightfully so. "Wow...Fuck that..." I looked her straight in the eyes before slamming my locker shut and heading in the direction of the choir room.

The late bell rang, which meant that practice was going to start within a few minutes. Kitty ran up to me, hoping to sway me with an apology. She probably didn't care about being late since she just had study hall next. That's what most people took for their final period if they weren't in any electives.

"Wait, babe, come on," she pleaded, grabbing my hand.

I turned back to face her, folding my arms. "What do you want? You don't need me, just go find some sexy jock to comfort you."

"I didn't mean it like that, I swear..." she trailed off, looking to the ground. "I trust you way more than I'd trust any of them anyway. Besides, don't you think Brittany knows plenty of grimy guys who'd totally be willing to take advantage of a tipsy, naïve girl?"

I rolled my eyes. She had a point. A few points, actually. Kitty may have acted like some slutty and mischievous girl on the outside, but I found out when I tried to have sex with her that she actually was a virgin. So was she right about the naïve thing? Yeah, I guess so. And it makes sense that even though we really weren't that great of a couple, she did trust me. I mean, when she told me she didn't feel comfortable having sex with someone she'd only been dating for a week, I didn't try to persuade her or anything bad like that. Sure, it was partially because I just wasn't down to fuck a virgin and get in way too deep, but I also had respect for women. It may not seem that way by the way I talk sometimes, but I wasn't some complete douche either.

I took a moment to think before taking a deep breath and taking her hand in mine. "Alright, fine, I'll go." Yep, I caved that easily. So I had to attend a few football games and go to some party with a bunch of people I don't care about...It didn't mean I was whipped. I still wasn't carrying her purse around, so I was good for the moment.

Her face lit up immediately, returning back to that original smile she started out with.

"Can I at least find someone from Glee Club to come with us? Brittany invited them all anyway. And that way if you wanna go off with your friends I won't be left alone."

"Well, it depends on who..."

"I don't know. Maybe Marley?" I asked tentatively.

"Marley, really? You know she likes you."

"I mean yeah, she probably does want my shit, but she's not the type of girl who'd try to do anything. And it's just nice to have a friend for once."

"You should try to make friend with some of the football players, since you _are_ my boyfriend and all," Kitty replied. "They're real good at making friends, and plus they'd stop making fun of you if they got to know you."

Yeah, okay, like that would ever happen. Kitty really was naïve sometimes. But I went along with it, mainly because I knew I had no other choice. "I told you, I'm totally tight with Sam Evans!" It wasn't really true, but he was in Glee so it worked.

"Whatever babe, we should get going."

I nodded in response, leaning in for another kiss before parting ways with her.

I walked into the choir room, feeling kind of exhausted from going back and forth with Kitty. Mr. Schue was organizing some sheet music, which meant that we were starting soon. I walked up to Sam and Blaine, feeling kind of awkward since I never really talked to them much. "Are you guys going to Brittany's party on Friday?" I asked.

"I keep trying to convince this one to go," Sam started, pointing at Blaine, "But he keeps saying he's too depressed to go out."

"Kurt won't even talk to me, Sam. He won't return my calls, texts, or anything. So excuse me for not being in the mood to party," Blaine replied.

Oh god...What had I just gotten in the middle of?

"Exactly, so it's the perfect time to get yourself out there!"

I cut them off, deciding that I didn't really care about Blaine break up. "So you're going though, Sam?"

"Yeah dude, of course! The whole football team is!"

"The entire team?"

"Well, pretty much," he explained. "Joe Vath's great aunt just died though, so he has a wake to go to. And Ryder Lynn tried to tell us he had to study, but we convinced him, and he gave us the definite yes last night."

I perked up at that last comment. "Oh, really? That's...cool." I tried to sound as nonchalant as possible, and Sam didn't seem like the brightest guy anyway, so I figured I was in the clear.

Mr. Schue started his lecture before either of them could reply, so I found Marley across the room and took a seat next to her. After a few minutes Tina and Joe sang a song they prepared that corresponded to the week's lesson, and after that Mr. Schue gave us all free time to work on the rest of the songs for the week. That Finn dude stopped by again to talk to Mr. Schue about some stuff, and while some of the older Glee members got up to talk to him, nobody made a big deal about it like last time. I did wonder what he kept doing back at this old high school, though.

When everybody had split up into their pairs and groups, I decided to ask Marley about the party. "Have you decided on going to the party yet?"

"Yeah...I don't think I'm going. It's just not my thing." She pulled some sheet music out of her folder and handed one of the papers to me. It was a Fleetwood Mack song that we'd agreed on for the week.

"And I totally get you on that, but if you go I won't be drinking either. Mostly because I don't feel comfortable around all the jocks and I'm only going because Kitty's making me."

"I guess that makes it a little bit better, but I don't think so Jake. I'm sorry...But I'm sure you'll still have a great time."

I sighed. "It's cool. I can respect your reasoning."

* * *

Friday night arrived quicker than I could have hoped for. I didn't know how to feel about the party because I wasn't sure if I'd enjoy it or not. There would be football players and a bunch of people I didn't know which kind of freaked me out. There was also the fact that I hadn't gotten drunk in over two years. I was upset that Marley decided not to come with us, but I also wondered if that hired my chances of scoring another conversation with Ryder. Was Ryder gonna get drunk? Was Kitty? There were so many questions and thoughts running through my brain during the car ride to Brittany's house. It was just a party. A few years ago I attended things like this all the time and didn't get anxious about anything.

My mom agreed to drive Kitty and me to the party if one of her parents picked us up later. She had yet another overnight shift to get through, and it also worked out because there was no way Kitty's parents would have been cool with us bringing alcohol. When Brittany updated everyone with her address, she also informed us that this was a BYOB party. She said she'd have some alcohol to share, but certainly not enough for everyone. I got a bottle of Jaegermeister and a few Red Bull cans for Kitty and I to share. I still wasn't sure if I was even going to drink at all, but it was better to be safe than to have to mooch off of everyone else all night. I didn't exactly plan on drinking much, but I know that if I didn't bring something, I would have regretted it.

When we arrived at Brittany's house, I rang the doorbell. She opened the door and let us in after a moment. "Hey guys! Thanks for coming! You could have just walked in, you know!" She already seemed tipsy as she sloppily hugged us both and hung up our jackets.

"Hey girl!" Kitty said back to her. "Happy birthday!"

The party had definitely already started when we got there. I saw a couple games of beer pong going on, and a bunch of other people hanging out and drinking.

"So should we start drinking?" Kitty asked me, talking kind of loudly over the music.

"Sure, if you want to." We made our way over to the kitchen where I found us a pair of shot glasses. I handed her one and began opening my Jaeger.

"I'm not sure if I'm gonna drink that stuff. That's like hard liquor right?" she asked.

"I mean, yeah, but I bought this for us..."

She walked over the counter where there was other alcohol laying around. She picked up a bottle of cotton candy flavored Pinnacle, smiling. "What about this?"

"That's vodka, babe. That'll fuck you up almost as much as this."

"Yeah, but you can mix this with juice or soda so it's not as strong, right?"

"I mean, yeah...I'd go with like Sprite for that particular flavor, not juice."

"Okay! Then that's what I want."

I rolled my eyes, but went along with it. It's not that I really cared what she wanted to drink, but if I had known I was going to have a whole bottle to myself I would have bought a much smaller one. "Do you wanna take shots of that and use the soda as your chaser, or do you want to make a mixed drink out of it?"

"I want a mixed drink, can you make it for me?"

"Fine, but watch me so you can make the next one yourself." Why was I surprised that Kitty would end up going for one the the girliest drinks – cotton candy flavored vodka? I picked up a solo cup from the stack and started pouring. "And listen, just chill with this one for awhile, meaning you don't have to chug it down fast or anything. Take your time, you're not in a rush, and I don't think you want to get that drunk tonight anyway."

Kitty nodded in agreement. "Yeah, the goal is to not make it a dead giveaway when my dad come pick us up, okay?"

I chuckled a bit, adding in the Sprite and handing it to her. "You don't need to worry about me babe." We kissed before making our way back into the living room.

It was an hour into the party, and I had only had one shot of my Jaeger so far. I really wasn't into it, and plus I did want to keep my eye on Kitty. We'd spent the whole time so far just chilling on the couch with two of Kitty's friends from Cheerios. The party didn't suck, but it wasn't that great either. I contemplated loosening up and having a few more shots at least, but wanted to wait a little while longer. I hadn't seen Ryder around at all, or anyone from the Glee Club besides Brittany herself. I saw Finn walk by at one point, but he was the closest thing to someone I knew.

"I'll be right back," Kitty whispered in my ear, slowly standing up. At that point she was on her second mixed drink, but also had a few wine coolers in between.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm just gonna chat with some friends."

I nodded, but hoped she wouldn't be gone too long. I didn't like the idea of sitting by myself for awhile. All of the jocks had pretty much just ignored me, which was totally cool. But if I was by myself and they were drunk, who knows?

Forty five more minutes had passed since Kitty went off with her friends. By that time I was just playing on my phone to pass the time and to not look awkward. When I realized how long she'd been gone though, I decided to go find her. I made my way over to the other side of the room and found her talking with a group of Cheerios and douche-y looking dudes. "Hey, where have you been?" I asked, pulling her slightly aside.

"Oh, don't strain yourself," she replied. "I'm having a good time. You should do the same."

"You literally forced me to come to this party, and you don't want to chill with me anymore?" I asked, getting a little pissed

"No, I do! But you need to go mingle with other people."

"Whatever..." I pushed my way through the crowd and made it back to the kitchen. I was pretty mad. How could she do that to me? She gave me no choice but to go to a party with her, and then left me alone in a crowd of people that either hated me, made fun of me, or didn't know me. I grabbed my bottle of Jaeger and the Red Bull cans, walking off. To my surprise, Brittany also had a finished basement where even more people were partying. It was a lot less crowded and rowdy. There was a pool table and a TV off to the side where a small group of people were huddled around. They were watching some sports game, versing each other in the table game, and drinking much more casually than the people upstairs. I ignored them all and instead found myself a secluded couch with a coffee table in front of it. I decided on doing what I always did best back in the day when I felt uncomfortable in a situation: drink my pain away.

* * *

A/N: _So there's chapter two! I'm sorry that this one is kind of a filler chapter, and that there's no Jyder in it. But Brittany's party is far from over! A lot of stuff is gonna happen in the next one! It's gonna start out as Ryder's POV, and switch to Jake's in the middle. Hope you enjoyed it. :)_


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